Cleisthenes’ Reforms

One of the most important turning-points in the history of Athens was the taking of the power by Cleisthenes and his introduction of new regulations. According to these, the right of the citizens to take part in politic matters stopped being divided in Phyle (tribes) and Phratry (brotherhoods); now it would be divided following pure territorial principles.

Attica got divided in three regions:

• the city,
• the coast,
• and the inland.

Each one of these three regions got then divided into 10 administrative districts, called deme, of approximately the same number of inhabitants. From these 30 deme they created 10 new Phyle, consisting of one demos from the coast, one from the inland, and one from the city. The idea behind the new structure was to create a mix that should take in account the interests of the deme at the same time that strengthened the feeling of community. The succeed depended on the degree of compromise and agreement. Besides, every year a new chairperson would be elected for each demos, called Demarchos.

However, the main item of the new reform was the new council, known as Boule. The council was composed of 50 members from each of the 10 Phyle, 500 members in total, and the distribution inside each of the groups represented the size of their deme. The negotiations in the council were done as Phylen and not as Deme as a measure to coordinate the different interests. At the beginning, not many tasks were entrusted to the council, but this changed during the 5th century. Later, the council was responsible for the financial control and the guarding of the official posts. Furthermore, without the positive vote of the council, the assembly could not make any decision. Any candidate suspected of planning a tyranny or of using politics for an own profit could be banished for 10 years through an ostracism if at least 200 of the 500 members voted against him.

Although the council represented the people, the highest posts were still under the control of the wealthy class. This means just that the rich people could be elected for one of the nine Archon. The first Archon, after whom the official year was named, had public duties. The Basileus (president) was responsible for the cultural matters. The Polemarchos (commander) was the responsible for the military supreme command. The sixth other Archon, the Thesmothetai, were judges and took care of the executive functions in the city.

Also the Areopagus did not change for the present. It was the upper court and controlled all the official posts in the city. The 200 – 300 members were former Archon and were chosen for life. At the beginning, also just the nobles had access to these posts. In fact, the city stayed for quite a long time in the hands of the nobility, although with the agreement of the people.

In 506 BC, Athens founded its first colony, known as cleruchy, in foreign lands such as Lemnos and Imbros. In the following years, the Cleruchy system became one of the most important instruments of power and economic politic of Athens.